Alec Baldwin: A look at actor's past arrests as he accidentally kills crew member
Actor Alec Baldwin accidentally killed a crew member and injured another after a prop gun misfired on the sets of 'Rust' in New Mexico on October 21. Reportedly, the actor isn't facing any charges because it was an accident, with the prop gun he was using being blamed for the accident. Nonetheless, the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office was called in and is investigating the incident.
This isn't the first time the actor has courted controversy, whether accidentally or otherwise. Throughout his decades-long career, Baldwin has often made the headlines for his less unsavory actions. In March 2021, he deactivated his Twitter account after being slammed for mocking Gillian Anderson. In February 2020, he made headlines for comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. He's also been widely mocked (and occasionally praised) for his impression of the former President on Saturday Night Live.
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But perhaps the most frequent and unflattering headlines have to do with Baldwin's brushes with the law. Since the first time he was charged in 1995, Baldwin has been a regular guest to police stations and the court. Here's just a brief look at some of his more memorable legal troubles.
Alec Baldwin's past brushes with the law
Baldwin made headlines in 1995, not for the birth of his daughter Ireland, but his actions shortly after. He was bringing back Ireland then-wife Kim Basinger from the hospital when he got into an altercation with photographer Alan Zanger. Baldwin allegedly broke his nose, after a scuffle broke out that started with Baldwin spraying Zanger's car with shaving cream. Luckily, he was later acquitted of misdemeanor battery charges, but Zanger won a civil suit and Baldwin was forced to cough up $4,500.
Then in December 2011, he was booted off an American Airlines flight after refusing to put his phone away prior to take off. He claimed he was simply playing a game, but that didn't stop the flight attendant from forcing Baldwin off, creating a major controversy. The actor claimed others were also using their devices, but he was singled out, before later apologizing in a Huffington Post column.
In May 2014, the actor was arrested for riding his bicycle the wrong way on Fifth Avenue. Reportedly, he was handed two criminal summons after becoming "belligerent" with the officers. It didn't help that he later tweeted NYC is "a mismanaged carnival of stupidity that is desperate for revenue and anxious to criminalize behavior once thought benign." Viral photos showed two female officers cuffing Baldwin and putting him in a cruiser, taking him to a nearby precinct.
In November 2018, Baldwin got into another punch-up, but this time not with a photographer. He was arrested for punching a man over a parking spot dispute in New York. The victim ended up in the hospital, and Baldwin once again at the police station. In 2019, he pleaded guilty to charges of assault and was asked to take an anger management class. Anger seems to be a major issue for Baldwin, as he has been repeatedly caught in disputes with the press, some often turning violent.
Thankfully, that doesn't appear to be the case this time around. Reports indicate the incident on the sets of 'Rust' was an accident, and not related to Baldwin's famous temper. Details are still extremely thin, but we can confirm the gun "unintentionally launched a projectile or projectiles" at the crew, injuring director Joel Souza and killing director of photography Halyna Hutchins. The Santa Fe Sheriff's Office is currently investigating the incident, while production has been suspended.